Bokura no Kokoro De
by Relinquished
Summary: “Why do we have so many people who hate to lose on our team?” It’s not that Seigaku can’t be defeated. Seigaku refuses to be defeated, in and outside of their own team.
1. Prologue

**Bokura no Kokoro de**

Disclaimer: If you would believe it, I don't own Tenipuri

Summary: "Why do we have so many people who hate to lose on our team?" It's not that Seigaku can't be defeated. Seigaku _refuses_ to be defeated, in and outside of their own team.

Notes before reading:

This fanfic is set in a kind of AU-Tenipuri universe; the characters are in _high school_, not junior high. When you read this, none of the anime or the manga has happened. I will be starting kind of slow, to get into the fic, and hopefully build it up so that it gets a bit more interesting. Live with me until then, please?

Oh, one last thing – the title translates freely into 'inside our hearts' and I'll leave the meaning of _that_ to your own imagination.

XXX

**Bokura no Kokoro de**

XXX

On the first day of school, Fuji Syusuke arrived at seven thirty. The bell for homeroom would ring at eight forty, but that didn't matter, because he was here to familiarise himself with the school grounds. He was dressed in a crisp, white shirt with black pants and a black blazer, emblazoned with the Seishun Gakuen school crest on the breast pocket. On the collar of the blazer was a silver badge with a single 'I', that showed he was in the first year.

His first day of senior high and the teen wasn't exactly tingling with anticipation, but he had a feeling that the next three years here were going to be full of worthwhile challenges, unlike junior high. Sure, he was going from senior back to freshman and would have to start calling people 'senpai' again, but that didn't matter. He was here for the thrill of competition.

He took a walk around the school grounds, making a mental map of the buildings, fields, the fountain and the tennis courts. Especially the last one, which was where he intended to get his thrill.

As he rounded the corner to the tennis courts, he discovered that he wasn't the only one who was here early on the first day. A tall, broad-shouldered teen was inside one of the courts, dressed in the white shirt and blue pants that marked a first year, a white tennis racket clutched in his left hand. There was an empty basket by his feet and balls had been scattered everywhere on the other side of the net.

Fuji was intrigued. This boy was obviously passionate about tennis, to be here so early on the first day just to practice. He felt slightly disappointed that he had missed the boy's practice, but a tugging curiosity that made him wonder just how good this boy was and how long it would take to beat him. Because Fuji _would_ beat him – it was just a matter of how much effort he had to put in.

The boy set down his racquet and began to gather the balls up. Deciding that he would need help, Fuji pushed open the gates.

"_Sumimasen_. Do you need any help there?"

The boy looked up at him, placing the balls into the basket as Fuji picked up a stray ball at his feet and examined it. As the distance between them lessened considerably, Fuji noticed that the boy was slightly more than a head taller than him and wore rimless spectacles over dark brown eyes.

"I'll manage. Thank you for the offer."

His voice was deep and it was curt, but it sounded more out of habit than deliberation. Fuji smiled, his eyes closed as they always were, tossing the ball into the basket carelessly and getting it straight in. The boy's eyes narrowed.

"My name is Fuji Syusuke," Fuji introduced, holding out a hand. The boy took it warily and they shook hands. "Freshman."

"Tezuka Kunimitsu," the other replied. "Freshman."

They were stating the obvious, because both knew just from the clothes they wore whether they were freshmen or not. It was common courtesy that made them do it. Tezuka examined Fuji carefully as the other bent down to pick up more balls from the ground.

Fuji was lithe, but well-built. He had the calloused hands of a tennis player, but quick, nimble fingers of a musician. His eyes remained firmly closed even when he was walking around, which proved to be very strange. A smile seemed to be permanently on his face, a sunny smile you could help but like.

"You don't have to pick up the balls," Tezuka pointed out. "I said I'd manage."

"We'll be doing a lot of ball picking as freshmen," Fuji replied cheerfully as he dumped an armload into the basket. "I'm just getting practice."

On that first day of senior high, Tezuka decided that there was something that set Fuji apart from everyone else as they silently made their way around the court, picking up tennis balls.

"_Arigatou_."

XXX

Kikumaru Eiji craned his neck to look around at the other students lined up around him. They were standing in class order, after having found out their classes from the lists posted up on the noticeboard, and were waiting for the staff and headmaster to file in. He had been put in class 1-6, but there was no one from elementary school that he knew.

He was about to topple over and crash into the person in front of him, when a firm hand caught him by the collar and tugged him back into standing position. Turning back to thank the person, he was met with warm, green eyes.

"Hoi, thank you, nya," he said sheepishly.

"No problem."

"Kikumaru Eiji," he introduced, sticking out his hand. The other boy took it. "Nice to meet you."

"Oishi Syuichiroh," the other replied.

Eiji was already busy inspecting Oishi's hands, even before the other had had a chance to get the words out of his mouth. Oishi looked decidedly nervous.

"W-What are you doing?" he asked.

"Hoi, you play tennis? Or any other sports?"

"Tennis and volleyball, actually," Oishi replied, a little astounded. "How did you know?"

"Hoi, you have calluses on your palms," Eiji pointed out. He traced them with a finger. "And you've been playing hard for a while too, nya?"

"Four years, actually."

"Really?" Eiji's bright blue eyes widened happily. "That's cool! Same here! Are you going to join the tennis club, or the volleyball club? I want to join both, but I think tennis is better."

"You play too?"

"Of course! Can't you tell?"

They were interrupted by the arrival of the staff body, who had filed in sometime during their talk. The deputy headmaster cleared his throat and the students settled down in their class lines. The headmaster came up to the microphone and addressed them all.

"Welcome, students, to another year at Seishun Gakuen. There are a few things I would like to address before you are dismissed to your homerooms to receive your timetables for this year.

"Firstly, club registration will begin at noon, after the timetables have been given out. You will come back into the hall if you want to join a club. A maximum of two clubs _only_, as there have been some problems with past students who have signed up for too many and have dissatisfied their school records and attendance. A reminder to club captains to set up before noon.

"Next is for the first years. The senior buildings are out of bounds and you will need a teacher's written permission to use classrooms, laboratories and other normally unsupervised areas outside school hours. If there are any problems, the seniors will be there for you to ask.

"Lastly. I'm sure the second and third years will recall the incident between two of our students last year, who violated school regulations and the dating policy, as well as several students who, without school permission, got part-time jobs. I am stressing the importance of the _no-dating_ and _no part-time jobs_ policy, as this affects your attendance and school records and your parents will have to be contacted if you are found to be violating either of these policies.

"After I dismiss you, you will make your way_ quietly_ to your homerooms. For first years, a senior will be happy to show you the way. Dismissed."

XXX

Kawamura Takashi made his way through a sea of students to get to classroom 1-8. He elbowed his way past the others, who were at least a head shorter than him – then again, he was tall for his age – apologising all the while. He had no trouble at all adjusting to being a freshman again. Apologising and acting demure was a part of his personality, after all.

When he reached the classroom in relatively one piece, he sighed in relief. He slid open the door and noted that the teacher hadn't arrived yet. There was no one he recognised from his old school, though he had hoped that Akutsu would have miraculously appeared at Seigaku, rather than going to Yamabuki. He would rather be bullied by him than be alone.

He chose a seat near the doorway, next to the corridor window. As soon as he had sat down, the teacher walked in.

"You, there," the teacher said, pointing to him.

"_Hai_, _sensei_!"

"Until we have elected class representatives, you will be in _gakkyuiin_, understood?"

"H-_Hai_!" The teacher nodded and walked to his desk at the front of the room, standing on the raised platform. Kawamura bolted up from his chair. "_KIRITSU_!"

The other students jumped to their feet at the call. This had been drilled into them since elementary school, but it was also Kawamura's first time to be the class representative.

"_REI_!"

"_Ohayou_ _gozaimasu_,_ sensei_!" the class said in unison, bowing low.

"_Ohayou_." The teacher gave a small bow in return.

"_CHYAKUSEKI_!"

They all sat back down again, Kawamura with his heart hammering in his chest. He hadn't done that before, but he had seen countless people do it. The teacher seemed to think that it was all right, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I will now call the role."

After the role was marked, Kawamura was motioned up to the front again and the teacher handed him a stack of papers for him to hand out. It was this year's timetable. He went around the classroom, handing them out to each student. One of the boys at the back stuck out their foot and he tripped, but the papers didn't scatter because of his firm hold on them. He picked himself up and finished the job with no more little incidents.

The teacher then introduced himself as Mika. He was a tall, not very friendly looking man with greying hair and an angular, proud face. His steely grey eyes seemed to just penetrate through the students and it made Kawamura gulp every time they were turned on him.

"I don't tolerate nonsense in my class," Mika-_sensei_ said curtly. "Don't act up, do everything that you're told to do and we'll get along fine."

XXX

The noon bell rang and many students were glad to be able to leave. That was the structure of the first day – opening ceremony, handing out timetables and other things in homeroom and then dismissal. What many students were looking forward to was going to sign up for the extra-curricular clubs.

There were students milling around the entrance of the hall, some of them just wandering aimlessly in and out, looking for friends or wondering what club to choose. Inside, there were tables set up around the edge of the hall where the captains and vice captains would sit behind and sign people up.

The majority of the students were gathered around the tennis club, Seigaku being the prestigious tennis school it was. The captain was a friendly, scraggly looking young man who had a white bandage – or bandanna, it was hard to tell – around his forehead and strangely circle-shaped spectacles.

"_Minna-san_, gather around if you want to join the tennis club!" he called good-naturedly. "We have two lists you can sign up on, so no pushing please!"

And students swarmed around, eager to sign up to the most prestigious club in school, one that was famous around the district for being one of the best. The people at the back thought that it would be almost impossible for them to even reach the list by the time registration was over, but they were saved by some unexpected people.

"Now that holidays are over, we'll have to start _daily_ training in the mornings _and_ afternoons!"

"Yeah and we'll have to run at least _thirty laps_ a day!"

Two of the senior Regulars – as the other students could tell by the jerseys and jackets – were talking loudly off to the side. They were wearing unconvincing, despaired looks on their faces, complaining loudly at the immense commitment being in the tennis club would require. Some of the students already began to drift away from the table, looking for clubs that didn't require perfect attendance or in-depth commitment.

Fuji caught the captain's eye and saw him wink. A smirk spread across his lips in understanding.

"_Sasuga_, tennis club's captain," he muttered to himself.

"Hoi, what's going on?"

A redhead appeared beside him, blinking in confusion at the sight of the crowd at the table gradually thinning. He had, in tow, an equally confused black-haired boy and they just approached the table slowly.

"The Seigaku tennis club doesn't need slackers," Fuji said simply.

He strode forward and put his name down on the list. When he was done, he glanced up at the captain, who smiled down at him.

"Fuji Syusuke?" Fuji nodded. "Welcome to the club."

"_Arigatou_, _senpai_."

"Yamato, the captain," the senior corrected.

"_Hai_, Yamato-_buchou_."

Fuji managed a small bow before he walked away again, smiling all the while. He had noticed that Tezuka's name was already on the top of the list. This was going to be an eventful year ahead.

XXX

**Japanese translations:**

_Sumimasen_– excuse me

_Arigatou_ – thanks

_Hai_ – yes

_Sensei_ – teacher

_Gakkyuiin_ – class representative, sort of class prefect/captain, teacher's aid

_KIRITSU_ – 'rise': the class rep says this when the teacher walks into the room and everyone has to rise to greet the teacher

_REI_ – I don't know the exact translation, but when this is said, the students have to bow to the teacher

_Ohayou_ _gozaimasu_ – Good morning (formal)

_CHYAKUSEKI_ – when this is said, the students sit down again after greeting

_Minna-san_ – everyone (polite form of _minna_)

_Sasuga_ – that's just like/as expected of . . .

_Senpai_ – way to greet students with seniority over you (being politically correct here, because there's not only male seniors in the school!)

_Buchou_ – club captain (only because the '_bu_' means 'club' and the '_chou_' means leader – _chou_ can be used as in _shyachou_, company president)

Comments? This is my first time trying to write a tennis-related Tenipuri fic, because I tend to bend towards writing AU. AU gives me a lot more freedom.


	2. The First Day

**Bokura no Kokoro de**

Disclaimer: If you would believe it, I don't own Tenipuri

Summary: "Why do we have so many people who hate to lose on our team?" It's not that Seigaku can't be defeated. Seigaku _refuses_ to be defeated, in and outside of their own team.

XXX

**Bokura no Kokoro De**

**Part One: Chapter One The First Day**

XXX

Classes began the next day, at eight-forty. Eiji had barely made it in time for homeroom, charging in through the back door just as the teacher opened the front one. Oishi helped him sneak into his seat as the _gakkyuiin_ gave the order to rise and greet the teacher.

"Lucky!" Eiji whispered, giving Oishi a thumbs-up. "I made it!"

"That was too close," Oishi whispered back.

They settled down to listen to the teacher's announcements and answer role-call. Club activities were starting that afternoon – the respective captains of each club had come to the conclusion that no one would remember activities on the first full day of school anyway. Eiji was practically brimming with excitement at the prospect of going down to the courts and wreaking havoc.

Both he and Oishi had swapped yesterday's school bags for tennis ones. The school had tennis bags for the Regulars, a black one with the school name and emblem emblazoned onto it, but until they became Regulars, they would have to use normal tennis bags. Eiji's one was dark red, matching his hair, while Oishi's one was pale green.

"Please note that the senior building is off-limits and that any of you caught entering there without permission or escort will be given after school detention."

"Which one is the senior building?" Eiji asked.

"The one directly across from us," the teacher replied.

The students all crowded around the window to look. There was a bridge connecting their building to the next one, which had clean, white walls and four storeys. It was a rule that the seniors, who had to prepare for university entrance exams, were not allowed to be disturbed during school hours and thus an entire building had been given to them to use. Freshmen and juniors shared buildings.

"Okay, class, sit back down!" the teacher called.

"Look!" one of the girls squealed. "It's the tennis club captain!"

Everyone who had begun to return to their seats leapt up again and ran to the window. Yamato had exited the senior building and was making his way across the bridge to their side.

"He's so cool!" the girls sighed.

"Really?" some of the boys asked, raising an eyebrow. "He looks kind of like a retard to me."

"Yeah . . ."

A cloud of dust and the sounds of kicking and punching later, the girls were left to sigh and giggle over Yamato in peace. Eiji and Oishi, who had long returned to their seats, smiled nervously and slid lower in their seats. When Yamato had gone into the building, the class began to settle.

"All of you are to report to me at lunch today for detention!" the teacher barked, slamming his hands down on the table.

"Aw man . . ."

XXX

That morning's occurrence was related back to Yamato in the following break. The tennis club's captain found it extremely amusing, much to the teacher's exasperation, pushing his ridiculously round spectacles further up the bridge of his nose.

"You shouldn't walk around the school during class hours," the teacher berated him. "Considering your – _ahem_, fame – you should know the disturbance your presence can cause, especially amongst the female students."

"_Hai_, _sensei_, I'll try." Yamato bowed. "Excuse me, but I have a meeting with Ryuzaki-_sensei_ that I am late for."

"Go ahead, Yamato-_kun_. Sorry for keeping you so long."

"Not at all, _sensei_, not at all."

With another chuckle, Yamato left the room and headed upstairs to the staff common room, where the tennis club coach was sure to be. The old woman would have nowhere better to go, anyway. He knocked on the door and, after the imperious command of 'enter!' slid it open.

"_Sensei_ wished to speak to me?" he asked lightly.

"Ah, Yamato," Ryuzaki Sumire said, looking up from her papers. "Tea?"

"No thank you, _sensei_."

"Suit yourself."

She filed her papers away and dumped them unceremoniously into a drawer, motioning for her student to pull up a chair. When they were both settled, she pulled out a folder and dumped its contents in front of him. He picked up the top article with a raised eyebrow.

"Something of interest, perhaps?" she offered with a smirk.

"This year's freshmen?" he asked, eyes taking in the other articles.

"Ah, yes." She motioned to the paper in his hand. "That one you're holding was written by the Weekly Pro Tennis magazine, about Tezuka Kunimitsu."

Indeed it was. Yamato skimmed through the article. It detailed Tezuka's tennis history, his achievements (which took up almost a full column of the one-page article) and had a large, full-colour, glossy picture of the then-captain on it.

"Written last year, after the _Chugaku_ _Zenkoku Daikai_," Ryuzaki-_sensei_ told him. "When Tezuka led the team he captained to win the title of National Champion for the first time since he took over, so they've had the title for three years."

She studied the captain closely from over the rim of her teacup. His lips formed a small smile, but that was always there, so she didn't take too much notice of it.

"What do you make of that?"

"Very impressive," Yamato noted finally, setting down the article. "_Sensei_ has been doing some snooping around, has she?"

"If I hadn't, then Tezuka wouldn't have come to this school," she replied.

"Oh?"

"His grandfather, apparently, was of the mind to send him to Rikkaidai Fuzoku, since it _is_ famous for having the title of _Chugaku_ National Champion."

"And so you decided to change the tides?"

"Hm . . . you could say that." Her smirk widened. "I, however, taught Tezuka's father myself. Tezuka Kuniharu, very intelligent, but sadly no sporting talent whatsoever. Scared shitless of his father, like anyone clever would be, but he had the guts to stand up to him and let the boy decide his own future."

"And he chose Seigaku?"

"Is that a surprise?" Seeing the look on his face, she cut him off. "No, don't answer that. Anyway, what do you make of him?"

"Very capable, from his past, but nothing as of yet." His glasses reflected the sunlight from outside the window. "He will have to prove himself before I can make a general statement. He may be _Shougaku_ National Champion, but he is still an untried freshman here in Seigaku."

"So harsh in your judgements, Yamato," she laughed. "How very unlike you."

"A mask isn't only made of plaster."

She sighed at his comment and waved him off, just as the bell rang. He bowed and scooped up the remaining documents from the table with a wink.

XXX

Lunchtime was spent in the classroom for all years, with the exception of 1-6, who spent most of it running up and down the school doing odd jobs for their homeroom teacher. Eiji passed classroom 1-1 and spotted a familiar face just next to the window.

"Look, Oishi! It's that boy from yesterday!"

Oishi paused, shifting the weight of the cardboard box in his arms. Sitting next to the window was the pale, brown-haired boy from yesterday's club sign-up. He was eating his lunch and reading a book at the same time.

"Wah, his lunch looks tasty," Eiji drooled, staring at it.

"Eiji-_kun_! He's looking at you!"

The boy was smiling directly at them, closing his lunchbox. He then got out of his seat and opened the window, leaning out to talk.

"_Konnichiwa_, you're the two from sign-up yesterday," he said, smiling brightly. "My name is Fuji Syusuke. Nice to meet you."

"Ah, nice to meet you too!" Eiji replied energetically. "I'm Kikumaru Eiji and this is Oishi, but you can just call me Eiji. We're in class 1-6, next door!"

"What are you doing walking around with boxes for?"

"Got into trouble," Eiji said, wrinkling his nose. "The whole class has to run errands for our _tanin_, you see, and we got stuck with putting things into the storeroom."

Fuji chuckled as a loud growl issued from the redhead's stomach. Eiji blushed, but the brown-haired boy reached back and grabbed his lunchbox, offering them what was inside. There were a couple of _onigiri_ inside, as well as sushi.

"Here, have some, I can't finish them all anyway," he offered.

"No, that wouldn't be too appropriate," Oishi stammered, shaking his head. He kicked Eiji's ankle lightly. "We don't want to be rude."

"It's no problem at all," Fuji assured him. "Just take it. You're hungry and I have too much food."

"_Arigatou_, nya!" Eiji exclaimed, accepting the offer.

"Nya?" Fuji repeated in amusement. He chuckled again. "That's cute."

"So," Oishi said as Eiji chewed. "Have you got any friends in this class?"

"No one I know," Fuji replied nonchalantly. He smiled. "But there are very interesting people here."

His eyes led them towards a person sitting in the front row, only a two seats away. He was tall, bespectacled and looked rather old for his age. He was ignoring everything going on around him and eating his lunch. There was a thick textbook open on his desk and his eyes were going through it like lightning. Eiji swallowed his food and peered at him.

"He looks like a nerdy character to me," he commented. "And too serious!"

"He joined the tennis club too."

"Ee? Nerds play tennis too?"

"Eiji­-_kun_, keep your voice down!"

Fuji's closed eyes opened just a fraction, showing glimmering blue depths as the boy in question glanced over. Surprised by the sudden display of such unearthly blue eyes, Eiji stepped back a little.

"He's _very_ good," the shorter boy informed him. "So I suggest you keep your voice down or your opinions on him to yourself."

After this statement, Fuji closed his eyes again and was back to normal. He bowed and told them how nice their first meeting was and he would see them at tennis practice after school. He returned to his seat, closing the window.

XXX

Kawamura decided that he didn't really like his new class. Not only did he get picked on for being _gakkyuiin_, the loud-mouths of the class had discovered that he wouldn't fight back even if they picked on him. So he had become their target early on and was intent on making him miserable.

"What have you got for lunch?" a boy asked.

"Sushi," he mumbled.

"Ooh, got your mummy cooking for you?" the boy sneered.

"_Baka_," a girl called out as Kawamura blushed. "Doesn't your mother make your lunch for you too?"

Choosing to ignore this, the boy continued to torment Kawamura, before a quiet clearing of the throat interrupted him. They found themselves staring at a tall, wiry boy with short black hair and _very_ thick, square-rimmed glasses.

"Kawamura Takashi," he began without preamble. "Right-handed, tennis player, style: Aggressive Baseliner, powerhouse . . ."

"E-Excuse me," Kawamura stammered, going red. The boy stopped in mid-rant and peered down at him.

"Inui Sadaharu," he introduced, tucking his notebook and pen under an arm so he could shake Kawamura's hand. "I've been following you around since yesterday."

Not knowing how to react to this statement, Kawamura stuttered again.

"You live upstairs to your family-owned Sushi Bar," Inui continued. "Single-parent family, work with your father before and after school . . ."

The boys were beginning to creep out because of the bespectacled boy's thoroughness in information gathering. He was proceeding onto clothing sizes when he realised that Kawamura was frozen in shock and the others had scattered in his midst.

"My data is incomplete," he commented offhandedly. "I hope to gather more."

"_Anou_ . . . that's nice?" Kawamura ventured.

"It's not that hard, since I am sitting next to you . . ."

Kawamura decided to add: _creepy data-guy_ onto the list of why he was miserable in his new class.

XXX

The time all the freshmen had been waiting for had finally come. As the afternoon bell rang to signal the end of school, various cheers came up from the first year classrooms. They all scrambled to pack their things after clean-up – returning brooms to closets, mops and buckets to store rooms and so on – to get ready for club activities.

Fuji was wiping down the blackboard, as was his duty for the week, when the bell rang. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and wrung out the cloth into the bucket. There was still fifteen minutes until the bell rang again to signal the beginning of club activities, so he still had time.

"Nya, Oishi! We don't want to be late! Come on!"

Eiji's mop of red hair came into view from outside the classroom and Fuji saw this through the windows looking out to the corridor. He jumped down from the chair he was standing on and carried the bucket to the washbasin at the back of the classroom, emptying its contents.

"Fuji-_kun_!" Oishi's voice called from the back door. "Are you coming?"

"Ah," Fuji replied. "I'll be there as soon as I finish cleaning up."

"Hurry up then!" Eiji sang, waving. "Don't wanna be late, do we?"

"I'll see you there, Eiji."

They ran off and Fuji returned to his cleaning. As he was rinsing out the bucket, the door opened again to reveal Tezuka. The other boy stood in the doorway for a second, then nodded to acknowledge him.

"I just came to get my bag," he said shortly.

"You don't need to explain to me, Tezuka-_kun_," Fuji replied lightly. He turned off the tap and was tipping out the water from the bucket again when it slipped. "Oh dear."

Tezuka steadied the bucket with both hands, before Fuji could even react. How he had gotten there was beyond the other boy, but he was very fast. His smile returned to his face, however, when Tezuka emptied the water out for him.

"_Arigatou_, Tezuka-_kun_," he said with a small bow. "I'm sorry for causing trouble."

"It's all right."

"_Anou_, if it's all right, could you wait for me so we can go to practice together?" Fuji asked. "I just need to grab my bag."

"Sure."

The shorter boy put the bucket and washcloth back into the closet and ran to his desk to grab his bag. On the way, he tripped over a chair and steadied himself on the desk.

"Oh dear," he chuckled again. "I'm clumsy today. Let's go, Tezuka-_kun_."

They walked down the corridor, in no particular hurry. People who weren't in club activities were leaving the school, while others were running to their respective rooms. Fuji was of slight build and almost got knocked over twice by people running down the corridor, but he only laughed it off.

"It happens," he said good-naturedly. "I'm small for my age."

"_Sou ka_ . . ."

Somehow, to Tezuka, Fuji seemed very ordinary. The bespectacled boy wondered if his first feeling of intrigue in Fuji was misplaced.

XXX

**End of Chapter One**

XXX

Chapter Two:

First tennis club practice, the freshmen get properly introduced to Yamato-_buchou_ and Ryuzaki-_sensei_, the future Regulars all gather together for the first time!

**Translation notes:**

I will only be putting new translations in, okay?

_-kun_ – an honorific for boys, usually young boys to about teenagers, used by friends for boys, sometimes teachers use it too, but mostly amongst peers

_Chugaku Zenkoku Daikai_ – Junior High School National Championships (_Chugaku_ junior high school, _Zenkoku_ National, _Daikai_ – championship, tournament)

_Konnichiwa_ – hello, used in the afternoons until early evening

_Tanin_ – (not sure if this is spelt correctly) homeroom teacher

_Onigiri_ – rice balls (the ones that anime characters always eat)

_Baka_ – idiot, stupid

_Anou_ – um (one of the many words for 'um' in the Japanese language, I prefer saying '_eto_', but the characters usually use '_anou_')

_Sou ka_ – really?

Reviews will be greatly appreciated. Flames will be used to aid Fuji in his little schemes to greatly embarrass the others.

Relinquished


	3. First Practice

**Bokura no Kokoro de**

Disclaimer: If you would believe it, I don't own Tenipuri

Summary: "Why do we have so many people who hate to lose on our team?" It's not that Seigaku can't be defeated. Seigaku _refuses_ to be defeated, in and outside of their own team.

XXX

**Bokura no Kokoro De**

**Part One: Chapter Two First Practice**

XXX

There were many people gathered around the tennis courts that afternoon. It was the first practice of the year, after all, and everyone was anxious to get started. Especially the freshmen. There were over twenty new members of the tennis club that year, one of the most successful years in the club's history.

The freshmen were changed into their gym clothes, blue gym shorts and a white polo shirt, and were milling around the entrance to the club room in groups of twos and threes. Kawamura noticed this – and the fact that Inui was _still_ following him – and sighed. He had originally planned to join the judo club, but since Seigaku had no judo club, he had taken the next best thing on his list.

"Average height . . ." he heard Inui mumble, scribbling in his notebook.

He inched away from the taller boy and consequently bumped into another freshman, who was standing behind him. Turning around to apologise, Kawamura found himself staring at the top of a bright mop of vibrant red hair.

"Hoi hoi!" the redhead greeted him energetically. "Are you a freshman too?"

"U-uh, _hai_." He stuck out a hand. "Kawamura Takashi."

"Nice to meet you, nya. I'm Kikumaru Eiji." Eiji shook his hand, pumping it up and down with a force that wasn't expected of his size. "Isn't this great? Seigaku's tennis club is so cool!"

Kawamura was about to reply when a creepily familiar voice interrupted them.

"_Ii_ data . . . Kikumaru Eiji, freshman, red hair . . ."

"Hoi?" Eiji blinked at the newcomer. "Who's this?"

"Inui-_kun_," Kawamura explained, laughing nervously. "He's in my class."

Just then, they were interrupted yet _again_, this time by the arrival of Oishi. Inui began furiously scribbling data about Oishi while Eiji introduced him to them, earning himself a strange look from the new arrival.

"Is he – all right?" Oishi asked.

"He's . . . like that, I think."

"We're waiting for our new friend, nya!" Eiji said excitedly. He bounced up and down on his feet. "He's in class 1-1 and we met him today!"

"Eiji-_kun_, calm down!" Oishi exclaimed.

"Ah, _gomen nasai_, I'm late."

Fuji arrived then, dressed in his gym clothes, his smile ever-present on his face. A glint reflected off Inui's glasses and he started flipping through his notebook. Fuji continued to smile, but there was a message of slight confusion being directed to his friends, who shrugged. Inui then looked up and stared at Fuji, who looked back.

"Fuji Syusuke, am I right?" he asked.

"_Hai_," Fuji replied, covering his bewilderment with another smile. "And you are . . .?"

"Inui Sadaharu." The bespectacled boy opened his mouth to speak again. "I've heard about . . ."

"Nice to meet you, Inui-_kun_," Fuji interrupted smoothly. "I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun here in the tennis club, _ne minna_?"

There were general murmurs of assent amongst the freshmen. Inui, finding no way to continue on his previous track of speech, fell silent, much to the relief of the others. After Eiji introduced Kawamura, Fuji looked around.

"That's strange," he commented, "I came with Tezuka-_kun_ just now."

"Did you just say _Tezuka_?"

At the sound of the name, all the freshmen whipped around to face Fuji. He obviously didn't know the impact of his words and just smiled as if nothing were wrong.

"_Hai_, what's the matter?"

"Don't you _know_?" Eiji squeaked. "Tezuka Kunimitsu is _the best_ tennis player in the _Chugaku_ circuit! Well, _was_, now . . . since we're in _Koukou_, but still! He won the Nationals last year!"

"_Sou ka_ . . ."

"You _really_ didn't know . . ." the redhead blinked in shock. "I thought all dedicated tennis fans knew him."

"_Saa_, I'm actually quite new in the tennis circuit," Fuji said. "I play, but I don't play in the circuit. I haven't been in a tennis club before now – I was more into photography then."

"You've been hanging out with a _Chugaku_ tennis legend without knowing." Eiji pretended to swoon and faint onto Oishi's shoulder. "I'm in shock."

They laughed at his antics. Moments later, Fuji's expression brightened again and he waved at someone over Kawamura's shoulder.

"Tezuka-_kun_!" he called. "Over here!"

Immediately, whispers broke out amongst the freshmen as Tezuka approached. He bore an aura of extreme confidence and power, one that others just couldn't help but respect. When he noticed that everyone's eyes were on him, he sighed and looked as if he had a headache. Fuji just smiled.

"Where did you go, Tezuka-_kun_? You were here one minute and the next I couldn't see you anywhere!"

"Bathroom," was the curt reply.

Eiji gaped at Tezuka in shock. When the other turned his gaze to him, the redhead flushed and hid behind Oishi.

"I can't believe I called him a _nerd_!" he hissed in his friend's ear. "I called Tezuka Kunimitsu a _nerd_!"

"Is he all right?" Tezuka asked, motioning to Eiji.

"Ah, I think it's just shock," Oishi replied with a slight smile. "He gets like that sometimes. Nice to meet you, Tezuka-_kun_. I'm Oishi Syuichiroh and this is Kikumaru Eiji."

Tezuka bowed.

"Let me introduce the others," Fuji said, taking over. "Kawamura Takashi and Inui Sadaharu. We're all freshmen here."

The arrival of Yamato-_buchou_ was met with whispers of awe, as well as a flocking of many of the girls' tennis club members. He and the _fukubuchou_, a second year named Takahashi Touya, came out of the club room dressed in the Regulars uniform.

This provided another gossip topic for the freshmen. They were in awe of the Regulars uniform the captain and vice-captain wore, as well as the five other Regulars. The blue, white and red jerseys and jackets, as well as the blue track pants had SEIGAKU TENNIS CLUB clearly and proudly emblazoned on them. It was the dream of all who entered the club to be able to wear them.

Tezuka stood off to the side, expressionless and silent. He was here to play tennis and _not_ to gawk at someone who he saw as a potential rival. Fuji stood beside him too, smiling placidly, not seeming interested in what was going on. He did, however, make a couple of comments.

"Yamato-_buchou_ is very popular. And that Regulars uniform is much better-looking than ours." When Tezuka grunted, he chuckled. "Are you going to tell me to stop making such superficial comments?"

"_MINNA_!" A loud voice called over the chatter. "GATHER AROUND!"

"Come on, Tezuka-_kun_."

XXX

"Welcome, _minna_, to the beginning of another year for the Seigaku Tennis Club," Yamato began. "My name is Yamato and I am the tennis club captain. This is the vice-captain, Takahashi Touya, who is second-in-charge.

"First of all . . ." here, Yamato gave a mysteriously bright grin, "the weather is perfect for practice."

Ryuzaki-_sensei_ coughed into her fist to hide a chuckle, while the other members of the team just smirked in amusement. The freshmen, however, were mostly confused. The randomness of the statement was unexpected and Tezuka was bemused by this fact.

"We will start off with everyone doing twenty laps around the courts, and then the freshmen will introduce themselves. After that, Regulars will practice on courts A and B, juniors and seniors will take courts C through to F. Freshmen will report to Takahashi, who will instruct you on your duties."

"_HAI_!"

"Everyone twenty laps now! Gather here in fifteen minutes!" Takahashi barked.

As they all went for the gate, Fuji fell into step next to Eiji, looking calm and relaxed. The redhead, however, was pouting again.

"_Mou_, I really hate running laps," he whined.

"It builds up stamina, Eiji," Fuji replied cheerfully. "And the weather really is nice for it."

Eiji made a face at him.

"You're talking like Yamato-_buchou_, Fuji," he said. "So weird!"

"If you let _buchou_ hear you say that . . ." Fuji let it hang, but Eiji only laughed and jogged ahead to join Oishi. The shorter boy kept at his current pace and soon caught up with Kawamura. "Kawamura-_kun_, ne?"

"A-Ah, _hai_. What's the matter, Fuji-_kun_?"

"Oh nothing much." Fuji kept his gaze ahead, but he could see out of the corner of his eyes that Kawamura was looking uncomfortable and nervous. "Do you have friends here from _chugaku_?"

"No, I don't," Kawamura replied softly. "They all went to another school."

"That's too bad," Fuji told him sincerely. His smile dimmed a little. "I'm the same – the only one from my old school too. But that's because I moved. I used to live in the Chiba Prefecture."

"Really?" The taller boy was beginning to relax. "What's it like there?"

"Not as urbanised as Tokyo, obviously, with a more relaxing atmosphere. They have a beautiful beach there and when we had free time, my friends and I used to look for shells."

"Must have been nice."

"Mm, it was."

They jogged in silence, easily keeping up with the rest of the group as they rounded the corner to start their fourth lap. Some of the freshmen had already dropped out and were propped up against the wall, panting. Kawamura was glad of his stamina.

"Why did you move then?" he asked, purely out of curiosity.

"Pardon?"

"Why did you move from Chiba?" he repeated. When Fuji didn't reply, Kawamura flushed. "I'm sorry, is it personal? You don't have to answer it."

"No, it's not really . . ." Fuji gave him a cheerful smile. "My father thought it would be good to have a change in environment, that's all."

Kawamura wasn't stupid, he knew Fuji was lying, but it seemed personal, so he didn't press it. After a while, he began to lose his breath and fell behind and Eiji slowed his pace down considerably too. Oishi dropped back to accompany his redhead friend, but Fuji ran on without looking back.

XXX

At the end of twenty laps, most of the second and first years had already dropped out. That left some of the third years and all the Regulars. What surprised them all was that six first years had completed all twenty laps and three of them were looking very calm about it.

_Interesting first years we have here_, Yamato thought to himself. His gaze rested on Tezuka, who was accepting a drink bottle from Fuji. _Especially that one._

"_Saa_," he called, clapping his hands. "Freshmen to Takahashi and everyone else to your respective courts!"

"_Hai_, _buchou_!"

Takahashi approached him. The vice-captain was tall, fair-haired and dark eyed, with a gentle disposition. However, his voice could command armies, as some of his friends had told him, and everyone respected him.

"Yamato . . ."

"Likes bees to honey," Yamato said, before Takahashi could finish his sentence. "We will have a lot of fun this year, Touya-_kun_."

"I hate it when you do that," Takahashi sighed. He glanced over to where Tezuka was. "That's the one, huh? I'll keep an eye on him for you, Yamato, but you owe me one."

"Wouldn't full marks on your next exam be nice?"

"Stop it."

Takahashi went back to the first years and began instructing them on what they were going to do for the first semester. They were divided into two groups and one would pick up balls first, the other would be doing stretches. Then, when he gave the signal, they would swap over. When the stretches were doing, they would gather on an empty court and he would begin coaching them on practice swings and basic skills.

"Go to your duties now!" he ordered.

"_Hai_, _fukubuchou_!"

Tezuka was in Group A, who were in charge of picking up balls. He jogged to Court F, where some of the second years were having practice matches. He set to work immediately, an act which pleased the vice-captain. At least he was hardworking and didn't complain.

"I'm too tired to move!" a first year whined.

"Me too! My legs feel like they're made of jelly!"

"FRESHMEN!" he barked, making them jump. "GET TO WORK!"

Somehow, Takahashi was _really_ starting to doubt Yamato's judgement.

XXX

**End Chapter Two**

XXX

Chapter Three:

After the first week of practice, Takahashi decides to put Tezuka up against some of the second years, which causes some discontent.

**Translation Notes:**

_Ii_ – good

_Gomen nasai_ – sorry, I'm very sorry (_gomen_ means sorry on its own, but more casual, _nasai_ is to make it formal and more polite)

_Ne_ – I'm not sure if there's a direct translation, but _ne_ can be used to ask opinions (kind of like, 'isn't that right?')

_Minna_ – everyone

_Koukou_ – senior high school (years 10-12)

_Fukubuchou_ – vice captain (_fuku_ – vice, _buchou_ – captain)

_Mou_ – a word of complaint, kind of like 'man!'

Reviews are appreciated this time too!

Relinquished


	4. First Disruptions

**Bokura no Kokoro de**

Disclaimer: If you would believe it, I don't own Tenipuri

Summary: "Why do we have so many people who hate to lose on our team?" It's not that Seigaku can't be defeated. Seigaku _refuses_ to be defeated, in and outside of their own team.

XXX

**Bokura no Kokoro De**

**Part One: Chapter Three First Disruptions**

XXX

Out of the twenty freshmen who had joined the tennis club that year, only six remained by the beginning of the second week. Takahashi should have expected it, but he was still irked at the fact that there would be so little people to pass the club to after both he and Yamato graduated.

However, the six who remained were beyond his expectations. They were all determined players and hated to lose to anyone. When the freshmen had been given permission to have a little free time, they immediately took up the two remaining free courts and started their own matches. It was as if discipline had already been beaten into them.

"Those six are going to be great," he told Yamato in an after-club meeting. "I haven't seen such disciplined first years before."

"Yes, they're really good," Yamato agreed with a smile. He watched the subjects in question clear up the tennis courts. "It's a good harvest this year."

"Even though they have doubled the pressure because the other freshmen have dropped out, they don't seem to mind at all. It's amazing that they can keep up with the juniors and seniors."

A bout of laughter reached them as Kikumaru Eiji's lithe figure started cart wheeling across the court, launching balls at the baskets as he went. Some of the others clapped his performance, before he started to do back flips, all the while still picking up the tennis balls.

"LOOK AT ME!" he said cheerfully.

"Eiji-_kun_, be careful!" Oishi's worried voice called. "You might injury yourself!"

"Don't be such a worry wart, Oishi!" Eiji cried, laughing. "Look, I'm a pro! I won't hurt . . ."

He collapsed on the ground like a dead weight. Oishi ran over, worried, while the others dropped their things to see what was wrong. After a lot of worried yells for the teacher later, the redhead sat back up again with a mischievous grin.

"FOOLED YOU!" he crowed.

"Eiji-_kun_, you . . ." Oishi flushed. "THAT WASN'T FUNNY!"

"Was so! You should have seen your face!"

"Oi!"

The two captains of the club watched as Oishi got up to chase Eiji around the court. Their classmates watched on, holding various brooms, baskets and armfuls of nets. Yamato smiled.

"A fruitful harvest indeed."

XXX

Inui rarely gave up the opportunity to gather data. But he also rarely gave up the chance to test out his data, especially when it proved so fascinating. And he wasn't talking about Kikumaru, Oishi or Kawamura. Their data was unique, yes, but so easy to read. He wasn't even talking about Tezuka, because, though his data was easy to read as well, the other boy continually surpassed them. Tezuka was frustrating, but Fuji was intriguing.

The golden-haired teen was always smiling, always cheerful, but he wasn't naïve as he led people to think. His moves were calculated and precise, planned to fail and never going wrong. He had successfully convinced even the captain and the coach that he was just an ordinary teen. Inui wasn't stupid and he would have been deeply offended if Fuji thought he could trick him as well.

He sought out the boy during break time, in the second week, to tell him that he wasn't stupid.

"I know your game, Fuji-_kun_," he said without preamble.

"What game?" Fuji asked innocently. He had a smile on his face, which was marred by slight surprise. A mockery, Inui thought. "You really shouldn't be so evasive, Inui-_kun_, otherwise people will get confused."

"And you should stop thinking you can make a fool out of everyone."

"Is there something you would like to say, Inui-_kun_?"

"I'm onto you, Fuji-_kun_." He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose while staring the shorter boy down. "I know about you and your past. You can't hide from it."

Fuji smiled at him as he left, wondering what on earth Inui was talking about. He really had no idea. His friends and teachers used to tell him that too, back in Chiba, but he had always thought that they were all in on some joke he didn't know about. He, frankly, did not find it very funny.

As he turned away from the door, his eyes met Tezuka's. The dark depths of the other's eyes, separated by thin lenses, bore into his. He had heard the conversation. Fuji smiled again at him and went back to his book.

XXX

"It's against the rules, Yamato."

"Such things are made to be broken, Touya-_kun_."

Yamato twirled the pen in his fingers idly, chin propped up on his other hand as he surveyed his vice behind his spectacles. They were classmates who spent too much time together. Takahashi glared at him. Obviously spending too much time together was rotting his tolerance of the captain into dissatisfaction.

"You know you can't let freshmen play actual matches until the second semester! Think about what the others will say!"

"Capabilities are not meant to be wasted on basics."

"And rank is not to be pulled because you have it!" Takahashi retorted. "It will severely damage relationships within the club members if you allow this!"

"A tear can be mended."

"Stop playing favourites, Yamato!"

"What's going on here?"

They both turned around to face Ryuzaki-_sensei_, who was glaring at them from the doorway. They remained silent even as they got to their feet and bowed to her politely. Takahashi was still fuming.

"I asked a favour of Yamato," Ryuzaki-_sensei_ told the vice. "I wanted the freshman, Tezuka Kunimitsu, tested for his abilities. Rest assured, Yamato has already told me that he will give it a shot, but if Tezuka fails even _once_, then the plan will be discarded."

Takahashi was forced to give way. He couldn't go against the coach's orders, but that didn't mean he was willing to do it. Ryuzaki-_sensei_ saw how angry he was and her gaze softened.

"Give it some time, Takahashi," she said. "Tezuka will probably surprise you."

"He's just a freshman, _sensei_."

"Ah, but one who led his team to win the Nationals last year."

He gaped at her, speechless. Yamato dropped his pen with a soft 'oh', and then bent to pick it up again. When he straightened, Takahashi's expression had changed into one of realisation and he was no longer as angry.

"_Sumimasen_," he apologised. "I didn't know."

"No hard feelings, _ne_?" Ryuzaki-_sensei_ assured him.

"No hard feelings."

XXX

"GATHER AROUND!"

The club members scrambled towards the coach bench, where Ryuzaki-_sensei_ and the two captains were standing. The Regulars were standing in a line at the front, the third and second years behind them, while the six freshmen lingered at the back.

"A new system will be implemented from this day on," the coach announced. "Every week, two freshmen will be selected to practice with the second and third years. This is to test them on their tennis abilities, to make them strong enough to support Seigaku once the club is given into their hands."

Murmurings burst forth like water escaping from a dam. The second and third years who weren't Regulars were unimpressed by this new system. They hadn't been given the chance when they were freshmen, so why should this year be any different? The Regulars shrugged, not really caring, as they had a separate training menu to the others and so this didn't affect them.

The freshmen, meanwhile, looked a little brighter. Picking up balls and sweeping the courts weren't exactly very appealing to them. Especially those who had been on their junior high teams and found the basics very dull compared to actual matches.

"The first two freshmen," Ryuzaki-_sensei_ called, "are Tezuka and Oishi."

"Yay! Oishi, you get to play!" Eiji said happily, hugging his friend's shoulder. "That's so cool!"

Fuji congratulated Tezuka with a smile and a nod, but the bespectacled boy gave him an icy look. The other boy's eyes opened in slight shock, but didn't get a chance to say anything before Tezuka turned away again. Fuji stared at the back of his head continually, ignoring what the coach was saying, and wondering why on earth Tezuka was being so cold to him.

"Dismissed!"

"The two selected freshmen please make your way towards the junior and senior courts!" Takahashi called. "Regulars to courts A and B with Yamato! Other freshmen prepare to pick up balls!"

"_Hai_!"

"Tezuka-_kun_, _matte_," Fuji said, grabbing hold of the other's elbow.

"What do you want?" Tezuka asked curtly.

"Is there anything wrong?" Fuji looked worried. "You look angry."

"You of all people should know." Tezuka pried his hand off his arm. "I don't like people playing dumb."

He walked off, leaving Fuji lost and confused. What did he mean 'playing dumb'? Eiji pounced onto his back, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Nya, Fuji-_kun_, what happened there? Tezuka-_kun_ looked really pissed off."

"_Iya_, _betsuni_," Fuji replied, laughing it off. "We just had a little difference in views, that's all."

"Oh . . . well, come on then! Let's go!"

The redhead dragged his friend along to the other courts, hardly noticing that Fuji wasn't paying attention to his ramblings. Instead, he was acutely aware of a dark stare piercing through his back, following his every movement. He then realised that what the people back in Chiba talked about wasn't a joke. There was something wrong with him, something that even Inui and Tezuka knew, but he did not.

_What's wrong with me?_ He wondered silently, staring at the ground. _Why does everyone seem to think I'm pretending?_

XXX

The second years didn't welcome Tezuka and Oishi into their practice as warmly as the third years. This was already putting aside the fact that the third years weren't exactly thrilled to have them either. First on the agenda was smash practices, and some of the more daring juniors asked loudly if Tezuka and Oishi even _knew_ what a smash was.

"Be quiet you two!" Takahashi barked at them.

Even though the vice captain was in the same grade, the juniors respected him and fell silent. They often didn't mind when Takahashi pulled rank on them, he was that well liked. The smash practice started with Takahashi lobbing balls from one end of the court and the two on the other side taking it in turns to smash them back.

"Tezuka! Oishi! You're up first!"

"Heh, let's see what the freshmen are made of," a junior, the one who had insulted them before, sneered.

"Tezuka ready?" Takahashi called, ignoring him.

"_Hai_."

The vice captain lobbed it easily, keeping his eyes close on Tezuka's calm figure. The freshmen was watching the ball carefully, not moving a muscle. Suddenly, he disappeared from the ground and was seen somewhere in the air, bringing his arm down in a powerful smash.

The ball landed neatly back into the basket just as he landed on his feet again.

"_Sugoi_, Tezuka-_kun_!" Eiji shouted from the other court. He and the others had stopped what they were doing to watch their classmates play. "Did you _see_ that Fuji-_kun_? That was _awesome_!"

"Ah."

Fuji looked at the bespectacled boy with open eyes. He had never seen the former _chugaku_ National Champion in play before. When Eiji had told him, in detail, Tezuka's achievements, Fuji had believed them – but actually _seeing_ it was something totally different.

Tezuka looked right back at him haughtily, as if in challenge. Taken aback, Fuji could only stare back, unable to move. The other players had also stopped to watch, and were currently mumbling and muttering amongst themselves about Tezuka's amazing display of control.

"Excellent!" Takahashi called, breaking the silence as he grabbed another ball from the basket. "Wake up! Oishi, it's your turn!"

"_H-Hai_!" the green-eyed boy stammered, nervously positioning himself.

XXX

When smash practice was over, Takahashi called out the matches. Some were going to play in doubles and others in singles, depending on who he thought suited those best. Oishi was put into doubles with a second-year _senpai_ and Tezuka in singles, against another second year. Takahashi didn't doubt their abilities, but he wanted to test them against all kinds of opponents.

"Satoshi versus Tezuka! Best of one game match!" the umpire called, sitting in the high seat. "Satoshi to serve!"

"Let's see how good you are in a real match, _freshman_!" Satoshi sneered, throwing the ball up into the air. He served it over the net with a resounding THWACK.

Tezuka was calm, as he always was, and returned it effortlessly. Undaunted, Satoshi ran to the far corner and hit it back with as much force as he could muster with his unstable footing. Already guessing that it wouldn't be a cross shot, Tezuka was already waiting for him on the other side.

"Love-Fifteen!"

"That was just luck, wasn't it?" a second-year whispered. "There's no way a freshman like him could score so easily."

"I don't know," he friend replied doubtfully, "he seems so fast."

The second-year attacked his opponent aggressively, slamming each ball with all his strength, regardless of control. He double-faulted, giving Tezuka yet another point. On his next serve, Tezuka retaliated with a return ace, making the score love-forty his way. The other second-years began yelling at their classmate.

"Oi, Satoshi! You aren't gonna lose to a freshman, are you?"

"Shut up!" Satoshi screamed. He glared wildly at Tezuka, who stood opposite him. "You little brat! You're going to pay for making a fool of me!"

"Stop it right there."

Yamato-_buchou_ stood at the open gates with Takahashi. The vice-captain was glaring daggers at Satoshi, who was still seething. Tezuka lowered his racquet calmly, not speaking.

"The only person making a fool of you is yourself, Satoshi," Takahashi informed his classmate. "And by this display, you are losing face for the second-years."

"Takahashi! You're not taking the brat's side in this, are you?" Satoshi whirled around to face his vice-captain. "It's not right! Why do _they_ get to participate in practices with us, when they're still freshmen? We had to earn to right to play and it took us a whole year! It's not fair!"

"Now, now," Yamato interrupted his voice cheerful. "Let's not damage friendships when tennis is supposed to be fun! Why don't you run ten laps around the courts to cool off?"

"_Hai_, _buchou_," Satoshi grumbled. He threw another glare in Tezuka's direction, before jogging past the captain to start his laps.

"Tezuka-_kun_, _minna_, let's all run these ten laps. That way, we won't lose to Satoshi in terms of stamina training."

XXX

The rest of the week went by almost normally, except for the fact that Satoshi had taken Tezuka and all the freshmen as enemies. He got Kawamura into trouble with the seniors, thereby earning the shy teen after-club duties of sweeping the courts and packing away the equipment after everyone had left. Eiji was particularly annoyed, since he had fallen victim to one of these schemes too, and had come out of it with a scraped knee.

"I got in trouble for tripping, stepping on a _senpai_'s racquet and knocking over the ball cart!" he grumbled to Fuji. "I was _pushed_, I tell you! And now I'm bleeding and have ten laps to run before afternoon practice!"

Tezuka was picked on the most, however, even though he didn't have a word of complaint. He was forced to join Kawamura with the court clean-up duties for the whole week, because he had been 'caught slacking off during practice'. All the freshmen knew that Tezuka slacking off during practice was impossible and resented the fact that the _senpai_ would think of such lame excuses to get him into trouble.

"It's unfair," Oishi said, examining Eiji's knee carefully. "Maybe we should tell Takahashi-_fukubuchou_ and ask him to do something about it. It's not infected, Eiji-_kun_, but you should keep the bandaid on until it stops bleeding. Then take it off and give it some air, so it can heal faster."

"Thanks, Oishi!"

"Takahashi-_senpai_ wouldn't be able to do much," Inui commented. "He's a second-year himself, even if he's vice captain. The third-year _senpais_ won't react well to his instructions."

"We can't let them walk all over us!" Eiji exclaimed.

"Take it like a man, Kikumaru-_kun_," Inui replied. He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Like Tezuka-_kun_. He hasn't complained once and he gets punished the most out of us all."

"Where is he, anyway?"

Tezuka was no where in sight. Fuji walked to the window and peered out at the tennis courts. There was a lone figure in the middle of the courts, surrounded by balls, as well as a large broom. The golden-haired boy turned to his friends.

"He's at the tennis courts, at clean-up duty. The _senpai-tachi_ have been making more mess than usual." His eyes opened. "Let's go help him."

XXX

**Translation Notes:**

_Matte_ – wait

_Iya_ – no (casual), horrible

_Betsuni_ – nothing much, nothing really

_Sugoi_ – wow, amazing

I'm using less and less new vocab, aren't I? Oh well, that means less translation notes and more . . . um . . . author's notes?

REVIEW!

Relinquished


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